Mer de Visages
by Palaise
Summary: Taka is away, Miaka is working, what happens when she runs into one of her seishi? TasukiMiaka
1. New Life

A/N: Hi!, This is my second fanfic, but don't go read my first one, it's horrible. Anyway, I should give you some background information: This is a reincarnation fic; OAV 2 never happened in this story; Miaka doesn't live in Tokyo, I don't know where she lives, I'll decide that later; a visual kei band is a band that uses visual appeal as well as audio appeal; Miaka may seem a little ooc; I don't know any French so excuse my poor French skill; yes, some Japanese bands have French names; the only Japanese that I'll use in this story (as far as I know) are the name suffixes, any phrases or anything will not be used. That's it! Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: I no own FY. 

Chapter 1: New Life

She was never really one to stay up with the latest trends. That doesn't mean she doesn't like shopping for them however. She was very busy, keeping with her job, staying in touch with Taka, and the past few months she dedicated every other spare moment to planning Yui's wedding. 

It was very hard not to see it coming. Yui and Tetsuya hooked up very quickly after Suzaku was summoned, and they got serious about it just as quick. It was only natural that they get married. But where did that leave her? 

Miaka and Taka had been dating for five years. Sure, they were unofficially engaged, but they never saw each other anymore. Five months ago, Taka had left for Tokyo. He had been accepted into Tokyo University and they decided that it was best that he take the opportunity. Because of the financial burden of him being at a prestigious university, Miaka decided it was best if she didn't go to college to help save some money. That left her here: at Watanabe Firms, as a secretary. She didn't really have any qualifications, besides being a high school graduate. It sure would look funny if she put Suzaku no Miko on her resume after all. 

Everyday, she wondered about her seishi. Were they all right? Had Tasuki and Chichiri died? She wondered what would happen when all of them died. 

"Yuuki-san, have you finished typing the report yet?" Her boss came striding down the aisle in front of her desk. His hands were full of papers and his narrow eyes squinted behind his glasses. 

"Ah! I'm sorry Watanabe-san! I got sidetracked!" Miaka quickly finished organizing the papers on her desk and took out the report that was only half typed.

"Next time get your work down before you daydream." He snapped. He opened the door to his office, which was right by her desk, and walked in. 

Her boss was very moody. He had been running the firm for twenty-five years and had hired the best lawyers in the prefecture, tripled the value of the firm, divorced two women, and had four kids in the process. Not mention that fact that he had a very comfortable lifestyle given the salary he gave himself. He paid he employees very well though. His philosophy was that "if I wear designer suits, then you wear designer suits." It had to be one of the finest dressed law firms in the country. 

"Miaka-chan! You want to have lunch today?" Yumiko, the secretary of Watanabe-san's most trusted lawyer, was Miaka's good friend. It was very hard not to be friends with Yumiko. She was kind, hardworking, and everything else that made a good secretary. She was a little ditsy and naïve though. Her boss fancied her very much and always gave her work to do as an excuse to see her. 

Miaka remembered how naïve she used to be, just by looking at Yumiko. She really hoped that's not how she is now. It would be rather odd if Miaka's boss had a crush on her and she didn't see it, especially when he's like 50-something. 

"Miaka-chan?" Yumiko high voice was concerned. 

Miaka chuckled nervously. "Sorry Yumi-chan, I've been spacing out today." Miaka straightened her black suit as she stood up. The skirt fell just above her knees and Miaka hated having to wear a skirt to work. Her hair was longer now, it was braided in a long ponytail that started at the base of her neck and ended halfway down her back. 

"Don't let Watanabe-san catch you doing that!" Yumi scolded, "He'll have some strong words with you!" Miaka didn't dare tell her that he had already caught her at it. 

"So," Miaka said, changing the subject, "where do you want to go for lunch?" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There was a nice little café down the street from the building that served great lunches. They weren't too expensive either. Sakako, a friend of Yumi's, came with them. Sakako was the assistant of a cd producer whose building was next to the firm. 

The waiter came and took their order. They were sitting at a table outside and discussed their morning. 

"Miaka-chan is going to get in trouble with her boss." Yumi joked. "All she does is space off." Sakako and Yumi chuckled and Miaka turned beet red. 

"Hey, I get my work done." Miaka picked up her drink and took a sip, still red. 

"It's okay, my boss hardly ever gives me any work. All I do is answer his phone." Sakako laughed a bit. "Least you have something to do all day, probably get paid better too." All of them laughed heartily. 

"Oh, speaking of money. Taka said that his tuition is due so he won't be able to afford to come and visit." Miaka said sadly. Yumi and Sakako made comforting noises and gestures. 

"I was really looking forward to meeting this great guy of yours. From all you've told us, he sounds like quite the catch. I'm so sorry sweetie." Yumi patted her arm.  "Tell you what, we're going to cheer you up!" Sakako and Yumi both cheered loudly, causing several other patrons to look at them funny. 

"No, really-" Miaka was cut off by Sakako. She really didn't want them to go to trouble just for her. 

"I know just the thing!" She had a mad glint in her eye. "It's really great!" 

"Ooo, what is it?" Sakako leaned over and whispered into Yumi's ear. 

"That's a great idea!" Yumi and Sakako gave the victory sign while Miaka sat in her chair, hoping their plan wasn't too drastic. "After work today, you're going to come with us." 

"Really, it's okay, I'll be fine!" Miaka was waving her hands in front of her, trying to prove her point. "Really, I'm fine!" 

"Nonsense!" Yumi's grin filled up most of her face. "We have the perfect opportunity to have some fun!" Sakako and Yumi both smiled as their food came and they started to eat. Miaka chewed on her food thoughtfully, what were they up to? 

"Oh, and don't expect to pay for lunch Miaka-chan, it's on me!" Yumi grinned again from across the table.

"But-" 

"No buts, Miaka." Yumi gave the victory sign once more. Miaka sighed. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was the end of the day; Miaka was saving all the documents on her computer, printed out the ones that needed to be, and finished Watanabe-san's reports for the day. After placing them on his desk, she shut down her computer, grabbed her jacket, and headed for the elevator. She pressed the down key and the soft ding echoed in the marble hallway. She sighed, looks like she had gotten away from Yumi. The doors opened and she looked up. 

"Miaka-chan! There you are!" Yumiko was in different clothing than her usual dark gray suit. She was wearing a fitted black top and a skirt that poofed out just a little from her body. Her clothes didn't show off her body too much but accented it nonetheless. "C'mon! You got to go change!" 

Miaka looked down at herself. Her suit had gotten severely wrinkled and her stockings had several runs in them. Little strands of her hair were sticking out of her braid. "Geez, I look horrible!" 

"No, you don't sweetie. You just look a little too much like you just got off work!" She giggled. "Do you have a change of clothes?" 

Miaka blushed. She usually just went straight home after work so she never had to bring a change of clothes. "No…" 

"That's okay! We're still going to have fun!" Yumiko grabbed Miaka by the arm and dragged her into the elevator. "Oh! >You'll have to put on a little makeup to where we're going!" She pulled out some black eyeliner and a hand mirror. "All you have to do is accent your eyes a little bit and you'll be perfect!" 

Miaka had never used eyeliner before. Using the mirror, she very carefully rubbed the tip of the pencil underneath her eyes. The result was crooked and uneven. However, it made her eyes look even more slanted and defined. 

"That's perfect Miaka-chan!" The elevator doors opened and Yumi led Miaka to her car. "It's only about a fifteen minute drive from here." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They pulled up in front of a club. A big neon sign said Crimson is tones of red, orange, and yellow. There were two bouncers at the door preventing the long line of people from getting in. 

"We're going to a club?" Miaka asked, looking skeptically at the line. 

"It's not really a club, more like a concert & bar combination place." Yumiko parked and opened her door. "Sakako gave us tickets to see a band. They're really popular too!" 

Miaka froze. She was getting to see a concert? She had never seen one before. 

"It's really lucky that we got the tickets. This is more of a private concert than one of the ones in a coliseum." Miaka looked over to the line. Most of the people were dressed in different shades of black with heavy makeup and wild hair. Some of them were wearing skirts with petticoats with their hair in pigtails. 

"C'mon Miaka!" Yumi had showed their tickets to one of the bouncers who eyed them over. After looking at them for a few seconds, he opened the rope that divided them from the inside. 

Miaka and Yumi both coughed and gasped as soon as they walked in. Smoke hung in the room like a fog and there were masses of people all wearing the same color. The beams of the strobe lights colored the smoke all colors of the rainbow. The room was divided between two levels: the top was like a balcony around the dance floor and had the bar and tables, the bottom was the dance floor itself, and the stage took up one wall of both levels. They saw an empty table near one of the sets of stairs. As soon as they sat down, the music stopped and the audience cheered. 

"We have some very special guests here tonight at Crimson. They've toured the country, their cds have sold millions, and now they're here to entertain you!" The audience roared with approval. "Here they are: Mer de Visages!" 

Miaka couldn't even see the stage because of all the smoke. She wasn't about to give up seeing her first concert because of cancer sticks. She looked to Yumi, who looked back at her, and got up and headed towards the stage. Pushing her way down the steps and weaving through the crowd of boots and maryjanes, she got as close to the stage as she could, about six feet away. 

The whole room had gone black and everyone quieted. All of a sudden, the lights on the stage came on in whites and blues. Walking out, the lead singer grabbed the microphone off the stand. 

Miaka couldn't tell if it was a girl or boy. The clothes didn't give away any of what the body might be. After she heard the song begin, she realized he was a boy. He could easily fool anybody by his appearance. He had long black hair that was partially put up in pigtails and his face was painted white. His whole outfit was white and he was wearing a short kimono with pants. 

The rest of the band followed: the drummer who was wearing blue and green and had wild bed-head like white hair, the bassist with a purple dress shirt and white tie, and the guitarist who was wearing layers of blue and black. Miaka looked closely at all of them. All of their faces were painted white, except for the guitarist; he was very tan. Even though he was wearing a lot of clothes, they were stretched against his upper body showing off that he must go to the gym very often. He was undoubtedly the most masculine member of the band. What caught Miaka's eye the most though, was his orange hair. As they started playing, he looked down at her and smiled, showing little fangs. She gasped. 

"Tasuki!" 


	2. Meeting

Well, I'd say that I have an excuse for waiting nearly a year to update, but alas, I don't. I've only recently gotten back into reading FY fanfiction, having spent many months reading Inuyasha, Fruits Basket, and Harry Potter ones. So, one day, (cough today) I was looking at my hard drive and saw that I never finished chapter two. I had part of it written (about one page) and I decided to finish it. Also, I finally came up with a name for Tasuki. I like the one I picked, much better than the original ones I was going to use. I've been heavily into jrock the past year so I think I can better describe the band eventually, although they are minor characters. After about two hours of writing, I have five pages for your enjoyment, so, hopefully you'll enjoy. I've done some editing but not much so it'll be kinda rough around the edges.

Well, isn't letting me tab my paragraphs so apologies about that.

As always, reviews are welcome, and greatly appreciated. Thank you to KittyLynne, I love your stories, and you rock!

Chapter 2: Meeting

She couldn't believe it. Tasuki, on stage, playing a guitar, dancing. It just didn't click. It just didn't seem right. What was the world coming to?

He softly sang backup whenever the song called for it. His hair was ruffled and he swayed his body causing many girls to scream out. They didn't know it wasn't on purpose. His pupils were dilated and his breath smelled of alcohol.

The lead singer teased the audience, leaning out from the stage and touching them only to quickly become out of reach.

Miaka was standing there in a daze, standing perfectly still while the people around her danced and jumped. She looked very out of place. He caught her eye, and he grinned again. She blushed deeply. _This was so not like Tasuki_, she thought, _and this is so not like myself._

Yumiko caught the look that he gave Miaka. She wouldn't have thought much of it if Miaka hadn't blushed deeper than a maiden on her wedding night. It was certainly noticeable to anyone who was paying attention. The gears in Yumiko's brain started to turn.

Just as the last song ended, Miaka took a deep breath, trying to ignore that her face was on fire. Before she could talk herself out of it, she looked to the stage again. The man was looking right at her. He took off his guitar, the single motion caused her to blush again. It wasn't a particularly masculine movement, but he made it so it was.

_God_, she told herself, _I haven't blushed this much since I first met Taka. _What would he think? He'd probably give her a lecture on how you shouldn't look at other men, not to mention the fact that he'd have his fist in the man's face quicker than you can say Suzaku.

The lead singer yelled to the audience about how great they had been and slowly exited the stage. Miaka was staring at her shoes, taking into account the different straps that held them on her feet. She was shaking with nervousness, disbelief, and giddiness. Hoping the coast was clear, she once again looked to the stage, noticing it was empty. A loud whistle jerked her head off to the side and she met his eyes. He winked at her and jumped off the stage, behind the curtain.

When the crowd finally settled down, Miaka had regained her composure. A hand reached out and grabbed her arm. She gasped. Whirling around, she met Yumiko's amused eyes.

"So," she asked, "What do you think?"

Miaka stammered. "Th-they're…great!" She chuckled nervously, shying away from her.

"C'mon girl, you're not auditioning to be Tony the Tiger. What did you really think?" Yumiko pulled her through the audience just as the DJ started playing more music. They reached a table directly overlooking the center of the dance floor. Miaka supported her head with her hands and sighed.

"I don't know." A waitress came by and set down two glasses, filling them up with water.

"All right. What did you think about the music?" Yumiko slowly started sipping on her glass of water.

"I don't know." Miaka started swirling her drink with her straw watching the ice go round and round.

"Too busy looking at the guitarist to notice the music, huh?"

"Wha?" Miaka jumped and spilled her glass. She face felt hot again and she looked down. "Was it that obvious?"

"Obvious?" Yumiko laughed. "No, not at all. It just looked like you were about to swoon." She sighed dreamily and placed the back of her hand to her forehead for effect.

"Yuuummmiiikooo!" Miaka whined. Yumi chuckled enthusiastically.

"Wow, great concert, huh? Thought I'd never find you guys with all the people here." Sakako had finally wrenched herself free from the bouncing and tightly packed audience. Her breaths came in steady pants and plopped herself down into the empty seat. She quickly swiped Yumiko's drink, as Miaka had spilled hers earlier. "So, what took you guys so long to get here? Now that the concert's over, you wanna go somewhere else? It's rather loud and difficult to see and breathe here."

"Finding a place with food would be great!" Miaka pumped her fist in the air. Her stomach growled its agreement. Miaka blushed sheepishly. "I haven't had dinner yet…"

"Alright! Mission Feed Miaka is go!" Yumi pumped her fist up too while Sakako remained seated, pretending not to know the two over-enthusiastic girls.

Being that water was free, they didn't have to pay for their drinks. Making their way to the exit they noticed that there were fewer people on the dance floor than before. Right when they saw the doors that led to the outside world, they realized where everyone had gone. There was a crowd of people with cameras, band paraphernalia, and signs screaming off to the right of the doors.

"Huh. I suppose that's where the band's dressing room is." Sakako stated. "Shall we lock arms and fight the masses?" She placed herself to the right of Miaka, while Yumiko was on the left of her. It wouldn't do to lose the somewhat gullible and air-headed Miaka in the mass of rabid fan-girls.

"Yeah, I'd bet they'd need a dressing room, seeing how much makeup they were wearing." Yumiko stated, grabbing Miaka's arm.

"The guitarist wasn't wearing any." Miaka said thoughtfully, trying to remember what the other band members looked like.

"Yes, you'd know all about what he looked like." Yumiko winked at her. Sakako doubletaked.

"What? Did I miss something?" She asked, grinning and wide-eyed.

"No! Nothing!" Miaka freed her arms and waved them in front of her as a sign to stop.

"Nope, nothing." Yumiko said. Miaka sighed in relief. "Just Miaka nearly swooning over the guitarist." Sakako's eyebrows disappeared in her hair.

"Really now…" Sakako got an evil glint in her eyes, while thoughtfully rubbing her chin. "He was quite a looker, must be better looking than that Taka fellow you're always talking about."

Miaka stuttered. "B-but…No! I mean…He's…I love Taka!" She nodded her head and crossed her arms, saying that was the end to the conversation.

"But you didn't answer the question!" Yumiko wiggled her finger in front of Miaka's face.

"A-"

"Hey! You can't stand here! You're blocking the exit!" A rather burly man had come up to them, towering over their small frames and looking down upon them. He had slicked back hair, looked like he could bench press a car, and was wearing a shirt that said "Security" on it.

"Yessir." They answered in a small voice, while quickly darting around him and heading full speed for the exit.

Once outside, they regrouped. It was dark out, the only light coming from a few strategically placed street lamps. There were a few people smoking outside, looking like they were waiting for rides, but most of them seem to just be wasting time.

"Man, that guy was sssccarrry." Miaka said, clutching her chest.

"Yeah, I hear ya." Yumi said while Sakako nodded. "So…shall we take my car?"

"Oi. Girly."

They all turned around quickly, expecting to see the burly man. Instead, they saw messy copper hair and crooked grin. Miaka's heart stopped. All of their eyes were wide as saucers. _The guitarist,_ they all thought. _Tasuki…_Miaka added. They all noticed that he had changed clothes. He no longer looked like someone who had forgotten what to wear so put on his entire wardrobe, only to have it be too small and stretch across his body. He was dressed rather moderately, in a plain dark t-shirt and pants.

"So." Yumi coughed. "I believe he means you, Miaka." She pushed her forward and Miaka stumbled. The man made a move to catch her, but Miaka managed to hit one of those strategically placed street lamps and it stopped her from falling completely to the ground. Miaka clutched her head and laughed nervously.

"You okay?" He was hovering in front of her, looking her over, looking for injuries.

"'Course!" She still chuckled nervously. She could smell him by how close he was. He smelled like something familiar but she couldn't quite place it. The situation was rather funny, according to Yumiko and Sakako, a famous guitarist hovering over a girl was sitting on the ground, clutching her head, and laughing.

"You sure? You don't need to go to the hospital or somethin'?" He looked skeptical about her condition of being unharmed.

"Nope! Just a bump! I've had worse." He grabbed her arms and lifted her to her feet, surprising her. "Uh. I don't think we've met before?" She started, wondering if he'd remember her or not.

Possibilities of his answer ran through her head: would he ask about Taka? Would he remember her as the Priestess of Suzaku? Would he remember his fellow seishi? Pain gripped her heart as the memories of her beloved seishi ran through her head. If...if this man, who looks so much like Tasuki is here, is it just a coincidence or is he Tasuki's reincarnation? If he doesn't remember her, would it be just a coincidence? Part of her hoped the answer was yes, part of her hoped that it would be no. If he was Tasuki's reincarnation, that means Tasuki was dead. _Of course_, she realized, _everyone dies eventually_. Actually knowing that a person was dead, however, made the realization so much worse. She couldn't help but grieve at the prospect of Tasuki and Chichiri, her two remaining seishi minus Taka, being dead. She was knocked out of her reverie by his answer.

"Don't think so." He gave her his crooked grin, a little fang peaking out. He put his hands on his hips. "I would've remembered ya if I had." Momentarily depressed by her thoughts, she didn't blush as she probably would have. She bit her lip in thought.

"No…" She finally said. "We haven't met before." He noticed that she almost looked disappointed saying that. He was disappointed that he had disappointed her.

"Well, now we have!" He nudged her. "Now you can brag to your friends about how you met me!" He puffed up his chest and grinned. Miaka looked wide-eyed at him for a second before breaking out into full laughter. Yumi and Sakako looked at each other before laughing too. He looked confusedly between the girls. Miaka patted his arm comfortingly.

"What's your name anyway?" She asked, grinning as her bouts of laughter died down. He looked offended at the question.

"Name's Xun." She looked surprised at the answer. They all did. He looked questioningly at them. "What?"

"Interesting name." Yumiko said. "I've never heard it before."

"'Cause it ain't Japanese." He said all-knowingly, crossing his arms.

"It's Chinese isn't it?" Miaka asked excitedly. _That would make sense, his reincarnation, if Xun is Tasuki's reincarnation, being born in China._ She thought.

Xun gaped at her. "How'd ya know?"

She grinned. "I have my ways…" She said slyly. He grinned in return and put his arm around her shoulders ruffling her hair in the process. It was then she realized what he smelled like. He smelled like he'd been drinking. _Wow, I'd be surprised if it turned out that he wasn't Tasuki's reincarnation._

"I thought Mer de Visages was Japanese." Sakako said thoughtfully. "Least that's what I've read." Xun removed his arm from Miaka's shoulders.

"Better if we say we're Japanese since everyone but me is."

"Why's that?" Miaka asked, looking up to him, getting very close to his face. His cheeks darkened.

"Somethin' 'bout marketing." He mumbled. He looked back at her, his face lighting up. "You never did tell me you name…"

"Oh!" Miaka jumped, hitting the top of her head against his chin. He "oomped" and stumbled back. Miaka was totally oblivious to what she had just done and introduced Yumiko and Sakako, while they looked between her and Xun rubbing his chin. "My name's-"

"OH MY GOD!!!! XUN-KUN!!!" A girl belted pass them and latched herself onto Xun. He looked stricken. "Oh my god! Oh my god! GIRLS!!! OVER HERE!!!" They all looked in alarm towards the entrance to the building. A group of girls looked, pointed, and started to run towards them.

"SHIT!" Xun yelled and pried the girl off of him. He looked between the three girls. "Err…gotta go!" He ran down the alley next to Crimson. The mob of girls bypassed Miaka, Yumiko, and Sakako to follow Xun. He just managed to disappear behind a door before the mob caught him.

"Wow…" Sakako said. "He sure can run fast."

"That's an understatement." Yumiko said.

Miaka looked where he had been. _He's too much like Tasuki…_

-----------------------------------------

Xun was leaning up against the door he just managed to get through. He could hear the screaming and pounding of the girls on the other side. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Damn women."

"Awwww little Xunie running from the fangirls again." Xun looked up to see the drummer making little kiss noises and motions at him.

"Shut up, Yuki. You want me to throw you out there with them?" Xun got up and was gripping Yuki by the collar of his shirt. Like Xun, he had also changed out of his concert attire. Yuki's eyes went wide.

"I value my life, thank you." Xun let him go and Yuki straightened out the wrinkles in his shirt, focusing on some that didn't exist. "What were you doing outside?"

Xun looked at Yuki out of the corner of his eyes. "Talking to a girl." He mumbled. He put his hands in his pockets and looked away.

Yuki fake gasped. "Really? Aww, little Xunie is growing up and talking to girls!" He dramatically sighed.

"Hey…You want to see how I can really wrinkle your shirt?" Xun raised his fist for effect.

"Um..." Yuki looked down at his shirt. "No thanks."

"Good." Xun started to walk further into the building.

"Hey!" Xun turned. "What was her name?" Yuki asked. Xun's eyes started to widen.

_Shit!_ He thought. _I didn't get her name!_


	3. Decision

Say "Yes!" to Chapter 3! XD

After you read this chapter, you'll sort of see where I'm heading with this story. Or you'll see my plan, same thing. It's kind of rough, I've only done a little editing and I probably haven't caught all the mistakes, but I hope it's okay.

KittyLynne: I've realized I never answered the question in the first review. Yes, I'm a fan of Gackt. More so of his more _(cough)_ risqué pictures than of his music I think. Vanilla certainly is interesting…I have refrained from using "Cool like Plastic" in the story yet, although I just got a rather funny idea I could use later. Must write it down. XD (I also refrained from naming the drummer Kami.) It's funny; I knew the exact picture you're talking about on the t-shirt when I read the description. I can picture it in my head, lol. We can all have our fangirl moments. _(goes to huggle her Tasuki pillow)_ Oh, and just so you know, I believe it was in Burned where just your description of Tasuki (I believe in the first chapter, when he's fully dressed and everything) made me blush harder than the first time I read a romance novel. ;) Ah, L'amour.

Note to Readers (err…Reader XD): In this chapter I briefly discuss actions between two men in relation to fanservice. If this disturbs you, ignore it, just the thoughts of Xun and what happens in his band. No, Xun isn't gay, and no, this isn't turning into yaoi. Oh, and no, none of the band members are gay. Just the way it is…

Side note: Xun means Fast, supposedly, which is why I picked it to be Tasuki's name in this, that and I liked the way it looks on the screen and how it sounds. Maybe next chapter I'll list the other possibilities that I was considering.

Other side note: I realize I've been using "seishi" in my story. Equivalent of warrior…I think. Y'know, like Suzaku Seishi is Suzaku Warrior(s)? Err, I'm not making sense am I? Anyway…also started using the suffixes –chan and –san. –chan is usually for a girl or young child. –San is what you use for someone older than you, a way of giving respect. If you want a more in-depth and more correct definition of any of these three words, go look them up on the internet, I'm bad at explaining things.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi, I haven't even met Yuu Watase yet. Hopefully she'll come to AZ again this year, as this year I can actually go, but that's just the wish of one fan. I do own Yumiko, Sakako, part of Xun (the part that doesn't count as Tasuki), and now Souji (the part that's not based on…well…you can guess when you read the chapter.)

As always, enjoy, and review. I love reviews, makes me pump out chapters faster. _(thumbs up)_

Edit: Caught a few errors shortly after posting. Corrected.

Chapter 3: Decision

The door to Miaka's apartment shut and her keys clunked against the kitchen counter. She, Yumiko, and Sakako had gone to dinner and, as usual, she had spent three times as much money on food as the other girls. Kind of made her embarrassed at this age, she figured she would grow out of it after she hit 20.

She lived in a one-bedroom apartment, she didn't need a roommate with the salary she made and Yui was getting married anyway. If Keisuke ever came to visit, he could always sleep on the couch. He was off doing his own thing since Yui and Tetsuya got engaged; he found it rather awkward that his best friend was marrying his little sister's best friend. He didn't mind the engagement, just thought it was rather peculiar.

Their mother had moved them to Osaka 3 years ago because her job had called for a transfer. Keisuke had stayed in Tokyo, but Miaka had gone with her mother. Taka had followed Miaka too, but still had plans to go to Tokyo University. When she had died, Miaka lived in her apartment and Keisuke came to live with her, along with Taka. Keisuke stayed for a while but felt he was encroaching too much on his sister's love life by living with her and her boyfriend. That was before Taka left for Todai. So now she lived alone.

Pressing the flashing button on her answering machine, she took her hair out of its messy braid and plopped down on the couch. Expecting the message to be from someone trying to get her to sign up for a credit card or one of the neighbors complaining about her cat again, she was pleasantly surprised when Taka's voice came through the speaker.

"Hey Miaka." He began. "Studies are going well, it looks like I'll be able to visit next weekend." His voice was monotonous and casual, like it wasn't exciting that he would get to see her. "Well, talk to you later." Click. End of messages.

_Geez. Not even a "I love you Mi-chan!"_ She scoffed. Walking into her bedroom, she casually petted her sleeping cat and grabbed things needed for a nice long hot shower.

After said shower, she stretched out next to her cat and contemplated her surprise meeting with the Tasuki look-alike. _The resemblance both in looks and personality is too uncanny_, she decided. However, Tasuki hated girls, and Xun was plainly interested in them, due to his casual flirting with her. _Maybe it was just a one-time thing? After all, he had been drinking. _She bit her lip in thought. She hoped he was Tasuki's reincarnation. _It shouldn't make a difference if he really is or not. _She resulted. She grinned, happy with her decision. _Now all I need to do is see him again…_

Before she could figure out how to do that, her phone screeched. Miaka decided that she would pretend that she was asleep, so she wouldn't have to answer it. The only person who called this time of night was her boss, itching to yell at her for something. Surprisingly, it was Yui.

"Miiiiakkkaaaa!" Her answering machine whined from in the living room. "I hope you're sleeping instead of being out this late! Wait, if you're sleeping, then answer the phone!" Miaka chuckled, but didn't move from her bed. Yui sighed. "The florist lost our order and the band we picked was already taken for the wedding day! Miaka! I can't move the wedding date! What are we going to do?" Frazzled, she dropped the phone as sounds of a crash next came through the speaker. "Just, call me when you get a chance, okay?" She hung up.

Miaka instantly regretted not picking up the phone. Yui was her best friend and she should have been there for her. She decided she would try to solve Yui's problems and then call her back, so that Yui would be happy to hear from her. Once again, happy with her decision, she drifted off to sleep.

_Maybe the florist over by the train station could do it. I think that's the one Yumi's brother works at. **And for the band?** Hmm, don't know anyone in a band… _She fell asleep.

--------------------------

He definitely was a looker. At least he hoped so, with the way people kept staring at him. Even with a hat on, people would marvel at his hair. _Blarg, I should dye it. _He decided. He stopped. _No! Dye is bad! If I dyed my hair, I'd end up looking like my bandmates!_ He nodded his head in approval of his thoughts. He liked to consider himself the normal one of the group.

As being the most masculine, he got the most girls. Well, the girls that didn't like feminine guys. Those type of girls usually went after Daiki, the vocalist. Daiki definitely gave new meanings to crossdressing and fanservice. That suited Xun just fine, as long as he kept the girls' hands, as well as his hands, off of him. Daiki knew to stay away from Xun when it came to fanservice, having received a bruise once from a misplaced touch. It made Xun's face turn red to think about it, at the sheer absurdity of two straight guys touching each other for the amusement of the crowd. He decided that he would never understand it so it would be best to stop thinking about it. He was usually drunk during concerts, so visions of such things rarely stayed in his memory.

Trying to shake the thoughts of his head, he turned them to a certain auburn-haired, green-eyed beauty he had happened to meet. He was sober enough by the end of the concert to remember it. He thanked whatever deity was watching over him. He was now currently 'touring' Osaka, actually hoping run into her. He had cursed last night after he realized just how big Osaka really was, but still went ahead with his original plan of hunting her down.

Usually he hated girls. That didn't mean he liked boys. Girls just..._irked_ him, with their giggling and the fluttering of their eyelashes. Not to mention what violence they were capable of. They were monsters under a pretty bubbly façade. His sisters had taught him at least that much. Boy was he glad to be out of the country, where they couldn't find him.

_So what made this girl different?_ He asked himself. He didn't quite know. Somehow, he just knew that she was. _That's good enough for me, _he decided. _Now, where to find her?_

_-----------------------------_

Miaka walked happily down the sidewalk, heading towards the florist shop next to the train station. She had confirmed with Yumiko earlier that it was indeed the one where her brother worked.

When she stepped into the shop, the sheer abundance of color almost knocked her over. There were bouquets, cemetery cones, decorations, and tons of odds and ends in every color imaginable snugly fitting together. It looked like one giant arrangement. She came back from her sensory overload when a familiar voice greeted her.

"Miaka! Darling!" She was tackle-hugged by a boy with vibrant pink hair. He soon let her go and was straightening his clothing. He wasn't dressed like a girl, but not as a boy either. He could pass for either gender depending upon the eye of the beholder. He wasn't effeminate, like the vocalist of Mer de Visages, Miaka realized, but he wasn't quite masculine either. His voice sounded like he hadn't hit puberty yet, but Miaka knew he was in his early twenties. He was only a year or two older than she was. He reminded her of Nuriko, which is why she was happy when Yumiko introduced her to him. Yumi was hoping that she would leave her absent boyfriend for him. She had wanted Miaka as a sister-in-law.

"Souji-san!" Miaka grinned, clapping her hands together. "You know you're my bestest friend right?" She gave him big puppy eyes, while keeping her grin. He looked at her warily.

"Maybe…" He quirked an eyebrow. "What brings you to my humble shop?"

"Well, you see, my friend is having a wedding." She started.

"Nope. Sorry Mi-chan. We don't do weddings." He looked at her apologetically. "Sort of a company policy."

"But Souji-san!" Miaka fake whined and started tearing her eyes for effect. Souji-san was such a sucker for girls crying. Kind of reminded her of a certain orange haired seishi…

"No, takes too much preparation. Little gatherings, fine, but no big weddings." He waved his arms exasperatedly. "Not to mention picky brides and their picky white roses. No color! They never want color!" He sighed before sitting on a bench, narrowly missing an arrangement of bright orange tiger lilies.

"Well, I'm sure Yui would love some color. As long as it wasn't neon." She rubbed her chin while smiling at him. "It would give their families quite a shock, but it would be worth it. Not to mention the grooms parents' wallets are pretty deep. Not to mention it would mean the world to me."

Souji hung his head. "How far away is the wedding?" He muttered.

Miaka brightened. "Two months!" She pumped her fist up in the air and gave a victory sign.

"Alright." He relented, and looked away. Miaka tackle-hugged him as he had done her before.

"See? I told you that you were my best friend!" She grinned and pinched his cheek. He smiled back at her, the smile reaching his eyes.

"Yeah."

--------------------------------

After making the necessary preparations with Souji for the samples and meetings with Yui, she stepped out of the shop into the evening air. Looking back into the shop, she saw Souji waving at her and she waved back. She briefly wondered what he would look like with purple hair, instead of that vibrant pink.

Pulling out her mobile, she called Yui. Leaving a message, as Yui was probably still at work, she told her that she had found a new florist and that they would be meeting later this week. Now all that left was the band. Immediately she began running names through her head of who might be able to book a band. Her brain stopped on "Xun."

_I wonder…_She thought. Looking up at the stars, noting the southern constellations, she made up her mind. She was going to track Xun down. This gave her a reason to do so. She smiled and headed home, fully intending on researching where Mer de Visages' next concert was going to be.


	4. Once Again

A/N: Well, nothing really happens this chapter. Next chapter will be better. Promise. Miaka/Xun fluff will start next chapter. Fun times.

Chapter 4: Once Again

_Blah blah blah. Blah blah. Blaaahh. Blah. Blah Blah. _Xun droned on in his head. He rolled his eyes and attempted to stay focused, only to go back to his previous thoughts. His manager could go on forever. Xun grumbled under his breath.

Looking around the room, he noticed that the other band members were as bored as he was. Yuki was playing with the hem of his shirt, Daiki was carefully assessing his fingernails, Kakuei was staring off into space, and Shasuke was sprawled out across part of the table they were sitting at, sleeping. Xun sighed, and crossed his arms. No wonder the band never knew what was going on. _Blah, blah, blah. _He looked at the clock, the hands telling him it was just passed 1 pm. They had been here for 2 hours already. Knowing they'd leave Osaka soon, he didn't want to waste time by sitting here, ignoring his manager. To make things worse, he still hadn't found the girl from Crimson. That really pissed him off. He reasoned that the manager would stop in the next few minutes. So he waited. Ten minutes later, he was starting to get pissed. When Shasuke started to drool, he knew he had had enough.

Standing up, he knocked over his chair. Shasuke immediately sat up and was looking around confused.

"I'm awake!" He said, wiping his mouth. Everyone ignored him, they were used to him falling asleep when the manager started to talk.

"I'm sick o' these damn meetings!" Xun yelled. Without waiting for a reply, he stormed out of the room, leaving the manager wide-eyed and Shasuke still confused. In the hallway, people moved out of the way of the orange-haired bomb coming their way. Once out of the building, his mind ran a blank as to what he was going to do. His short-term plan was to leave the meeting and get out of the building. Now that he was out of the building, what came next?

Running through his head the list of things he had to accomplish, his first priority landed on finding the girl. He had no idea where to start looking for her, but he decided that going back to Crimson would be a good start. Now, he just had to remember how to get there.

Train. Everyone travels by train in Japan. Satisfied with the first step of his master plan, he set out to find a train station. Trying to cross the street, the "Do Not Walk!" sign kicked in, leaving Xun at the mercy of a person late to work. The driver, hitting the horn violently, yelled out the window for Xun to move. Xun, trying to dive out of the way of the soon-to-be-moving car, ended up on the hood of another car. The angry driver's eyes went wide and she dashed out of her car over to Xun. Pulling out her mobile, she called an ambulance. She checked his vital signs and it was then she noticed his bright orange hair. She gasped.

_It's that guy from Mer! _Sakako was horrified. _I'm in deep trouble…_

After lunch, Miaka skipped into Watanabe Firms. Dancing to her desk, Miaka picked up her phone. She dialed over to Astres:Terre Records and asking for Sakako, she was disappointed when she got her voicemail.

"Sakako! My bestest friend ever!" Miaka's cheery voice recorded digitally. "You know how you owe me that favor right? Well, I'm wondering if you could tell me Mer de Visages' next concert? Plllleeeeaaassseeee? I'll talk to you later! Bye!" Hanging up the phone, Miaka was satisfied for today. Settling down into her desk, she wondered what she should do. Before she could contemplate it long, she felt someone watching her. Turning around, she came to face to face with Watanabe-san. The color drained from her face.

"Yuuki-san." He started, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes-sir?" She meeped.

"Where is that report?" Miaka swore that his eyes began to glow red. Either that or the redness of his face was affecting them.

"On your desk?" She hoped. His expression didn't change for a few seconds.

"In those piles of paper?"

"Yep!" She inaudibly sighed. She had thought she forgot to give them to him. "All this weeks' are in there too!"

He jumped. "All of this weeks?" He asked incredulous.

"Yep!" She smiled. "I worked extra hard yesterday!" She wanted to give him either a high-five or a peace sign, but she figured that he wouldn't appreciate that.

"Oh." He looked at her suspiciously, before retiring to his office, fully intending on inspecting the documents.

Miaka finally gave that sigh. Turning back around, the door to Watanabe-san's office opened. He poked his head out before telling her that the work was satisfactory, and that she could go home for the day.

Momentarily at a loss about what to do, Miaka sat there with a question mark above her head. Since she didn't have to stay to work, she decided, she could go track down Sakako and ask her when the next concert was in person! Once again dialing the record company, this time she got Sakako's secretary.

"Oh! Sakako had to go to hospital!" The woman explained. The color drained from Miaka's face.

"The hospital?" She breathed. "What! Is she hurt? She okay?" Miaka began to rant.

"Oh yes, Sakako is fine, she was just helping some poor soul that got hit by a car this morning." The secretary sighed. "She's such a nice person!" Miaka mentally scoffed. She knew that Sakako had probably been responsible in some way to that accident. Otherwise, she would have called an ambulance and dashed to work, instead of following them to the hospital.

Writing down which hospital they went to, Miaka left the office and prepared to catch the nearby train.

Sakako was pacing the hallway in front of the ward. She hadn't seen him since the ambulance came and was wondering if he would live or not. Deciding his wounds really weren't all that bad, she wondered if he would be able to play the guitar anymore. If he couldn't, her bosses would kill her. Not to mention several thousands (possibly millions) of fangirls would too.

The doctor came out of the ward looking grave. He tutted and shook his head. Sakako definitely feared for the worse.

"He's dead…isn't he?" Her eyes were wide. The doctor looked at her in alarm.

"Dead? Oh no, my dear. He's perfectly fine!" He smiled and patted her shoulder. Sakako looked between the doctor and the door.

"But-but, you looked like he had died!" She shouted at him, outraged. The doctor chuckled.

"No no! I was shaking my head at the idiocy of someone calling an ambulance for someone who is perfectly fine!" He took the clipboard from beside the door and walked down the hallway, humming.

Sakako's jaw dropped and her face turned red. "Shows me to be considerate," she grumbled under her breath.

Deciding it was her time to face the music, she walked into the ward. Xun, in his ever-healthy state of being perfectly fine, was sitting on the hospital bed with a scowl on his face.

"Well, hey there!" Sakako nervously said. Xun ignored her. She gave a weak chuckle. "I'm sorry about, y'know…"

"'Bout what?" He snapped.

"The whole car thing." She gave another weak laugh. Xun's eyes went wide.

"THAT WAS YOU!" He stood on the bed and pointed a finger at her. His jaw dropped in disbelief.

"Right…" She slowly edged towards the door. Xun was too quick for her, and now stood in front of the ward's doors.

"Nah uh." He said, shaking his head. "We're going to have a little chat."

"Hold on mister!" She put her hands on her hips. "Just cause you ran into my car—"

"I DID WHAT?"

"-and landed yourself in the hospital-"

"completely your fault!"

"-doesn't give you the right to boss me around!" She was poking her finger into his chest, repeatedly.

"Look, girlie." He opened his mouth, and then shut it. He scowled at her before giving her a once over with his eyes. "Wait a sec…"

She raised her eyebrows at him.

"You're that chick that's friends with that chick!" He said, incredulously. His eyes were wide. Sakako was confused.

"I'm what now?"

"You're friends with that cute girl from Crimson!" He was excited. Finally, after all his hard work, a lead on where to find the girl he'd been looking for.

"What? You mean Miaka?" Sakako was thoroughly confused now. A voice outside stopped their conversation.

"Did someone just say my name?" Tasuki looked out the window on the door of the ward and his jaw dropped.

"Found you." He breathed. He stared at her for a moment, watching in her confusion as she twirled around, trying to find the source of the voices. He smiled, and was about to open the door when he looked down.

"Shit." He was wearing a hospital gown. He needed clothes, preferably sexy clothes, and fast.

Sakako beat him to the punch though, and opened the door. "Miaka! Over here!" Waving her in, Miaka smiled at her friend.

"What's going on?" She looked behind Sakako, and noticed a copper-haired, red-faced man wearing a rather small paper gown.

"Oh, hey Xun!" She smiled fondly at him. "What are you doing here?"


	5. First Date, Part 1

Welcome ladies and gents, boys and girls, to Chapter 5 of Mer de Visages! I've had quite a crappy year I must say, but things are looking better! I'm not going to bore you with ramblings of my life, so onward to the story!

_Last Time:_

_Sakako beat him to the punch though, and opened the door. "Miaka! Over here!" Waving her in, Miaka smiled at her friend._

"_What's going on?" She looked behind Sakako, and noticed a copper-haired, red-faced man wearing a rather small paper gown._

"_Oh, hey Xun!" She smiled fondly at him. "What are you doing here?"_

Chapter 5: First Date Part 1

As a man of usually many words, Xun was speechless. The girl who he had spent hours upon hours (well, maybe not _that_ long) looking for, all the while walking out on his manager and bandmates, not to mention getting hit by a car, was standing before him. This should have been his shining moment where he sweeps her off her feet and takes her to a fancy restaurant. Alas, sometimes the world does not work out the way we want it to.

"I just asked about you actually!" She said. He hadn't moved, and looked at her as if she was speaking a foreign language. So, she tried again, only this time she did switch to a foreign language.

That knocked him out of his current state. "You speak Mandarin!" was what came out of his mouth. He mentally smacked himself for his lack of eloquence. There goes his shining moment of triumph.

She didn't want to tell him that she indeed had been to China, only several thousand years earlier than present time. She thought that since she did spend so much time immersed in the culture that it wouldn't hurt to pick up a few words here and there. Except, those few words turned into a second language, which turned into a degree from a language college. Then, in return, that degree turned into her current job at the law firm.

Taka never had the ear for foreign languages and had constantly told her that she was wasting her time. He always said that she should go to culinary school, as her cooking skill would be more valuable than her speaking skill. Not to mention needed the most improvement. She did attend culinary school for a while, but once Taka moved to Tokyo she withdrew from the school. He got angry but couldn't do anything about it. She called it part of his training her to be his obedient little house wife.

So, she settled with "I took a few classes here and there…" which actually pleased him very much.

"You don't find many people learnin' Mandarin!" Once again, he smacked himself for his lack of eloquence. "Usually it's English they learn…"

At that, Miaka laughed. "Oh, I tried to learn English, just never quite got it." Xun laughed heartily. _The girl can speak my native tongue…DAMN!_

During their little intermission of laughter, Sakako let out a fake cough and pointed to Xun's state of dress, which promptly led him to speed into the bathroom.

"So Xun!" Miaka yelled, which received a muffled reply by Xun. "Where in China are you from?"

The reply through the bathroom door sounded vaguely like "Shanghai."

Miaka let out a deep sigh. "Oh…I've heard it's beautiful there. Beautiful gardens just bursting with greenery…" Her eyes glazed over and she looked like she was in heaven. Sakako looked at her rather perturbed. The whole situation was rather strange.

"It's very crowded though, but great shopping." Xun was still in the bathroom.

"I've always wanted to go, but never had enough money." Miaka sighed. She desperately longed to see China again, even if it was modern and travel to place to place didn't involve riding on horses anymore.

"We should go together sometime. I have a house in Shanghai." Miaka turned around the Xun stood in the doorway to the bathroom, gown-less. He had changed into the clothes he had been wearing while he was hit by the car, dark jeans and a t-shirt of an unknown band. Miaka swore he could have been a model.

"That…would..be..nice…" She stuttered. She mentally smacked herself for her lack of eloquence.

"Yeah, airline tickets aren't _that_ expensive if you fly from Kansai." He reached for his jacket. Kansai International Airport was about a half an hour from Osaka. She had never seen it herself, but she heard from Taka, who flew to Tokyo instead of taking the train, that it was incredible. It is an airport on a man-made island. Just incredible.

"Kansai's been having some good deals recently, it's how I'm able to afford to go to Hawaii next month." Sakako explained. "Ah, Hawaii, sitting on the beach surrounded by American men…" She sighed. "It will help me practice my English too."

"Ya mean your pick-up lines," Xun scoffed.

"Practice is practice," Sakako winked.

Miaka really wanted to bring up the issue of Yui's wedding, but felt it was still too premature to ask Xun if he knew anyone that could perform. She couldn't dare ask Mer de Visages themselves to perform, not to mention that they're not exactly Yui's cup of tea.

"So…when are you leaving Osaka?" Miaka asked, curious.

"Few days…" Xun said. Miaka thought that he sounded rather disappointed.

"Mer isn't scheduled for any tours after Osaka." Sakako said. "Where are you headed?"

"Home." Both Miaka and Sakako gave a soft "Oh."

"…Well...this has been fun, besides the whole you hitting my car thing, so I suppose we'll see you around." Sakako grabbed Miaka and headed out the door, explaining that she was late for work, while Xun yelled out how she hit him, not the other way around.

While Sakako was dragging Miaka down the hallway outside the ward, Xun bolted through the door.

"Have fun in Shanghai, Xun!" Miaka waved. She was devastated that they were parting, but she had learned a long time ago that you do not cross Sakako. "I'll come to your next concert! So you have to look for me!"

Xun's face was surprised. He was not letting her get away this time.

"…Er…W-Wait!" He yelled. Sakako stopped, Miaka took a step towards Xun. He closed the distance between them. He towered above her, her head barely coming to his shoulders. Her emerald eyes sparkled with confusion.

He took her face in his hands. He was worried that he might be shaking from excitement. Miaka's face went up in heat, she was worried she was red as a tomato.

"Would you like to come with me?" Miaka's eyes couldn't have possibly gotten any wider. She herself shook from excitement and clasped her hands together.

"Really?"

Sakako dropped to the floor. This day couldn't get any worse. A famous guy runs into her new car, giving it a dent in the hood. Her insurance won't cover it, even after being on the phone with the sales guy for an hour while Xun was getting checked by the doctor. Her boss yells at her for hitting one of their clients, even after she said that he had run into her. She gets yelled at by the famous guy while he's wearing nothing but paper. Then, her best friend decides to go on vacation with said famous guy to China, only just after meeting him.

"What could possibly go worse?" She mumbled.

Right then Miaka's mobile rang. The cheery light tune echoed off of the concrete of the hallway. She halted her celebratory dance of being able to go to China, and checked the caller ID. It said, "Taka."

She decided, for once, not to answer. When she was asked about who it was, she responded that it wasn't important.

Until next time, my lovelies. I promise next update won't be nearly as long.


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